CIA director was in Venezuela to meet with acting president Delcy Rodriguez, official says
CIA Director John Ratcliffe was in Venezuela’s capital of Caracas on Thursday, Fox News learns
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Greg Norman-Diamond,
David Spunt,
Patrick WardFox NewsPublished
January 16, 2026 2:21pm ESTclose
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CIA Director John Ratcliffe was in Venezuela’s capital of Caracas on Thursday to meet with Acting President Delcy Rodriguez and other top officials, a U.S. official told Fox News on Friday.
The meeting unfolded about two weeks after the Trump administration carried out a military operation capturing Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
A U.S. official told Reuters that Ratcliffe met with Rodriguez under the direction of President Donald Trump, "to deliver the message that the United States looks forward to an improved working relationship."
The two discussed intelligence sharing, economic stability and the need to guarantee that Venezuela is no longer a "safe haven for America's adversaries, especially narco-traffickers," Reuters added.
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Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez meets CIA Director John Ratcliffe. (CIA)
On Wednesday, Trump shared he had a call with Rodríguez and later described her as a "terrific" person.
"This morning I had a very good call with the Interim President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez. We are making tremendous progress, as we help Venezuela stabilize and recover," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
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CIA Director John Ratcliffe, left, and Venezuela's Acting President Delcy Rodriguez. (Leah Millis/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/Reuters)
"Many topics were discussed, including Oil, Minerals, Trade and, of course, National Security. This partnership between the United States of America and Venezuela will be a spectacular one FOR ALL. Venezuela will soon be great and prosperous again, perhaps more so than ever before!" Trump added.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe in Caracas, Venezuela on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (CIA)
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The same day, Rodríguez announced her government will continue to release prisoners detained under the rule of Maduro in an initiative she touted as a "new political moment," according to The Associated Press.
Fox News Digital’s Diana Stancey and Bonny Chu contributed to this report.
Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.
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